Jutge not ready to ref

Top French referee Joël Jutge has been having a terrible time with his knee. He has been unable to referee since November 2007.

He had cartilage trouble and was operated on after the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He spent eight months recovering but the doctor was not satisfied with the outcome and he underwent another operation on the same knee.

He reports: "The operation was a success but recuperation long - very long." Again it meant right to ten months in recuperation.

He had hoped to start refereeing recently and was appointed to a club match in France. But he withdrew. He also withdrew from the European Challenge Cup match between Rovigo and London Irish. "For the moment I'm not ready, because after I began my training for couple of weeks, I still had muscular pain and tendonitis."

So he says he does not know when he is going to get going again. "I'm always very motivated to begin again, but for the moment I still must be patient."

In the Six Nations he was appointed to be the assistant referee at Twickenham this Saturday when England play Italy and the referee for the Calcutta Cup match at Twickenham. He is/was a strong candidate to referee one of the Tests on the Lions' tour of South Africa.

Recently Jutge was honoured by the French government. Roselyne Bachelot, the Minister of Health, Youth Affairs, Sport and Associations, presented him with the medal of a Chevalier of the Order of Merit (Médaille de Chevalier de l'Ordre du Mérite).

Jutge was born in  Lavaur on 5 April 1966. He took up refereeing after a top career as a scrumhalf for Colomiers and then Cahors.